What Is the Meaning of Hazmat?

The term "hazmat" is a common abbreviation for hazardous materials. Hazardous materials are dangerous, and can cause permanent damage to the environment and harm to the general public.

Definition

• According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the term hazmat, or hazardous materials, "includes those materials designated by the Secretary of the Department of Transportation as posing an unreasonable threat to the public and the environment."

Hazardous Material

• The lists six materials that fall under the umbrella of hazardous material. These materials are hazardous substances, hazardous wastes, marine pollutants, elevated temperature material and materials that are identified and defined in the code of federal regulations volume 49, parts 172.101 and 173.

Hazmat Classes

• Hazardous materials are divided into nine classes: explosives; gasses; flammable liquids; flammable solids; oxidizing substances and organic peroxides; poisonous and infectious substances; radioactive material; corrosives; and miscellaneous dangerous goods. Each class may also contain additional divisions.

NFPA Diamond

• The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Diamond is a method of labeling hazardous materials so that the severity of that material can be apparent at first glance. The diamond is separated into four smaller diamonds, each of a different color representing a specific hazard. Red represents a fire hazard, blue represents health, yellow represents reactivity and white indicates a special hazard. The number located in each diamond indicates the severity of each hazard, with zero being the lowest.

Transportation Placards

• An example of a hazmat transportation placard

  The use of placards when transporting hazardous materials is required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The placards display the class and subdivision of the hazardous material being transported.